Learn to Talk
by daydreamgirl14
Summary: Ivy was one who faded into the background, and she liked that. She didn't mind people not talking to her anyways. She'd get nervous, stutter, panic, then end up speaking in another language. So she wouldn't talk. But it's a bit hard to not speak in Galaxy Hills especially with specific people present. Most likely friendship. May have hints at romance. Rating just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. So yeah... An OC story from me... Weird... It's a request/dare from a friend of mine, that I'm still working on, and I thought I might as well show it to you guys since I haven't finished typing out Tooth Spell or any other story I'm working on. This chapter's pretty much a prologue just to give you a taste of who she is and why she's going to be in Galaxy Hills. I haven't written an OC story in about two or three years, and honestly those were/going to end up as Mary Sues so please tell me if she ends up going in that direction. Like in all my stories, there is an OOC warning because I'm still adjusting how I think they would react to my OC. And that's about it. Hope you enjoy, and review! ^.^ But flames will be chucked into Fanboy and Chum Chum's lava pit. xP**

Ivy slightly jolted upward from her seat as the shriek of the bell, broke her out of her daze. All around her, students were rushing out of the classroom or chatting with friends, eager to leave campus and begin the fun of the weekend. Putting a strand of hair behind her ear, she shoved her algebra textbook and notebook into her backpack and got up, making her way out.

"Ivy, may I please have a word with you?"

The girl looked up from the checker tiled floor to her teacher and nodded, changing her path. "Yes, Mrs. Prewitt? Am I in trouble?" She bit her lip nervously. _Maybe I should have been paying attention._

"No, you're not in trouble at all." The girl internally let out a sigh as her worry dissolved. Her teacher took a seat at her desk and looked up at her student. "How are you doing at Wingsport High?" Mrs. Prewitt asked.

Ivy furrowed her brows together, confused by the question. "I'm doing fine," she answered hesitantly.

"I see you're having trouble with communicating with the other students," her teacher said. "Is there a reason for that?"

Ivy shook her head. "No, there isn't a reason."

Her teacher obviously didn't believe her. "So the students aren't giving you a hard time?"

_Does Mrs. Prewitt think I'm being bullied?_

Ivy shook her head once again. "No, ma'am. No one's giving me a hard time."

"Then why don't you talk to anyone? You should be making friends," her teacher pressed on.

Ivy's lips were upturned in a semi-smile. "I'm fine. I'm more of a background person that you don't notice." She shrugged.

"Then you should find some people to be in the background with you," Mrs. Prewitt tried to persuade her. "There are many students here. I'm sure you have similar interests with at least one of them."

Ivy didn't bother to respond to her teacher's comment. Instead, she quickly came up with an excuse to leave, not wanting to stay in the classroom any longer and discuss her lack of a social life with her teacher. "Mrs. Prewitt, I don't want to sound rude, but I said I would pick up my cousin from school and take him to his grandma's today. I don't want to keep them waiting," she said.

Her teacher scanned the girl's face. Ivy felt as if the woman was looking into her soul. Well, more like to see if she was lying, but it felt like pretty much the same thing. "Very well," Mrs. Prewitt said. "But before you go, take this." Her teacher took a flyer from the top of her desk. "I'm sure you've heard about them talking about this during announcements. This might help you break out of that shell of yours."

"Galaxy Hills?" Ivy murmured.

The girl looked up from the paper and nodded, smiling. "Thank you, Mrs. Prewitt." She made her way out the door, folding the flyer before shoving that into a side pocket of her backpack. "Have a good weekend."

"You too, Ivy."

* * *

Ivy gasped as she reread a page of _Artemis Fowl the Last Guardian_, not believing what she had just read. "No," she murmured. Hastily, she flipped to the next page, her brown eyes quickly going from word to word. Her brain was processing the words a mile a minute as the plot of the book thickened. "No," she repeated, fully enthralled in the novel. Slowly, she began to sink into the book. The surrounding of the room disappearing and replaced with the dark dirt tunnels of underground Ireland.

"Ivy!"

The girl was suddenly pulled out of her imagination at the sound of her mother's voice. She looked up from the book and sighed. Placing a sticky note on the page, she closed the novel and set it down on her bed. With one final glance, the brunette ran out of the room.

"Ivy! Dinner!" her mother called out again.

"I'm coming!" Ivy ran to the kitchen where she could hear the sounds of pots and pans and other kitchen utensils.

"Hi, mom. Hi, dad," she greeted her parents. "Ooh, chicken." She grinned at the sight of the meat.

Ivy helped her parents set the food on the table and took a seat. She began to help herself to some mashed potatoes.

"So how was school today?" her mom asked.

"Did you have any tests?" chimed in her dad.

"No," the girl answered. "And school was alright."

"Have you made any friends?"

Ivy shook her head, the conversation she had with Mrs. Prewitt popping up in her mind.

"Why don't you go and make some friends?" her mother questioned. "You're always either reading or on your laptop."

The girl responded with a shrug and took a piece of chicken. A silence settled.

Her mother spoke up again. "Today, Molly called me at work-"

Ivy groaned. "Mrs. Prewitt called you?"

"What happened?" her father asked. "Did you do something?"

The girl shook her head. "No," she answered defensively. "She was talking to me about making friends and gave me this flyer for something."

"Yes, she was talking to me about Galaxy Hills," her mom said. "It's a small city where children and young adults live by themselves. There are a few adults to keep everything orderly. She told me that she thought it'd be great for you. I was a bit wary about this myself when she told me. But I looked it up, and it doesn't seem that bad. It would be a bit like summer camp."

"You never let me go to summer camp. And I haven't even finished the school year here yet," Ivy pointed out.

"Maybe after New Years, you can transfer. You'd be able to meet some new people. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

The girl frowned. That wasn't her idea of fun at all. In fact, the idea made her quite nervous. She can't even speak properly to her peers at Wingsport High, let alone some strangers in some small city. _If only mom let me be home schooled._

"I guess," she answered, not even bothering to change her mom's mind. Once her mother had her mind set on something, there was no turning back.

Her mom smiled at her. "Don't worry. You'll be fine there. Maybe you'll be able to make some friends there."

Ivy gave a small smile and a nod, continuing eating her meal.

* * *

Ivy sighed and plopped herself on her bed on her back. She silently began to stare at the ceiling, attempting to ignore the knots in her stomach. All she could think about recently was Galaxy Hills.

When her mother first announced the idea at dinner, the girl thought nothing of it. Her mother wouldn't let her walk home from school unless there was no choice, let alone go to a city two towns over by herself.

Weeks passed. Next thing the girl knew, midterms were over, and she was told by her mom to turn in some paper work into the office about her transfer. It finally hit her. This was happening. Her parents were sending her to Galaxy Hills in hopes that she would become more social.

She could hear the voices of various family members in her house for their annual Christmas celebration. The girl wasn't in a partying mood. Truth be told, she never usually was. But this time it was different. Her mind was too filled with thoughts of Galaxy Hills. She didn't feel like having to maneuver around random family members she may or may not know and be forced to talk to one of her cousins, which is usually just a silent Ivy nervously playing with her fingers and her cousin making failed attempts of conversation.

_I wonder what Galaxy Hills is like_, she mused. Pictures of buildings from Google Images popped up in her mind from the time she googled the city. She remembered one tall, colorful building in particular. A water tower, she guessed it was. _I wonder what that's for._ Ivy smiled as her imagination came up with ideas, each one crazier than the one before it.

The smile slid from her face, a nervous expression replacing it. _I hope the people are nice._ The girl knew that the city must be a quite tight knit community considering that the flyer said some of the teens had been there since they were toddlers and that there is a population of about fifty people living there, give or take a few.

But Ivy had made no plans to socialize with any of them. She would just do what she did here at Wingsport: stay at home, keep her head down, and try not to bring any attention to herself. As long as she did that, she would be fine.

The girl quickly sat up as her door was opened. It was her mom. "What are you doing in here? Your grandma is wondering where you are. Come on."

She stood up and fiddled with the sleeve of her oversized sweatshirt, following her mother to the living room. Ivy immediately tuned out her mom's rant about her being unsocial. Her mind continued to fill itself with thoughts of what her new "home" would be like. _I wonder what the people are like._

Before her mind could divulge into the thought any further, her grandma's voice pulled her back to reality. "My, Ivy, you've grown."

* * *

Ivy taped up the last opened cardboard box in her room. Setting down the tape and the scissors that were in hand, she sat down on her carpeted floor and glanced around her room. _It looks exactly the way it did when we first moved here._ Down came the pictures of those rare moments when she let herself go and had fun with her family. Folded up were her clothes and bed sheets. Packaged were her childhood stuffed animals, books, and other miscellaneous necessities she would need now that she would be living by alone for at least the rest of the school year. Her closet was empty. Her walls were bare. Her furniture was disassembled and laid down orderly on the floor, ready to be loaded into the truck anytime and away from the many boxes now filling her room.

_This is my last day here._

The holidays had passed. The day had come.

The feeling hit her like a thousand bricks. She was leaving to live on her own for half a year. For the next six months, Ivy would no longer hear her father coming home late at night from his job. No one would sleepily walk into her room, scolding her to put down her newest novel and go to bed. She wouldn't be the taste tester for her mother's new recipes. The constant questions and lectures wouldn't be heard everyday. For half a year, she would not see her parents face to face, feel their hugs, and receive their kisses and encouraging words. The girl was going to be pulled away from the comfort of her own home to an apartment two towns over.

Ivy's grey eyes watered, tears threatening to fall at any moment. She sniffed. _This is happening._

She leaned her back against the cardboard box and tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. _I can't cry. I'll be fine. I'll be back here in no time. It's only for the rest of the school year._

Her mom's voice broke her out of her thoughts. "Ivy! Did you finish packing yet?"

The girl wiped her eyes. "Yeah, mom!"

Ivy's mother opened the door and looked at her daughter. "Come on and have lunch. Your dad and uncle will pack your stuff, and then we'll go."

The girl nodded, standing up. After one final sweeping glance of the room, Ivy followed her mom to the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N. This obviously isn't the story that everyone wanted updated, but I'm just trying to get back on track. Since I had more of this done, I thought to finish this first. Here is Ivy's first interaction with a few people at Galaxy Hills. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Ivy laid on her couch, examining the living room of her new apartment. The area was quite small, and to the girl, it looked obvious that she had just moved in. The walls were a blinding hospital white, and a couple of old sofas that once occupied her parent's garage sat in the middle. There was a small coffee table nearby the couches which currently her backpack was sitting on. Inside contained her key and cellphone.

_Good thing mom and dad bought new furniture for the house a few years ago._

The girl remained on her couch for a few minutes, observing her new surroundings, attempting to get used to them. Or at least, she tried to. As she stared at the high ceiling, Ivy could not help but think of her parents. Here she was in Galaxy Hills to become more social. There they were in Wingsport, most likely worrying about her and going to lose countless hours of sleep.

She felt a tear go down her cheek. Quickly, she used her sweatshirt sleeve to wipe it off.

_Don't be stupid, Ivy. This isn't the end of the world. You'll see them when school ends, and then you'll never have to leave Wingsport until college._

The girl shook her head, trying to shake off her negative sat up and got up off the couch, walking to one of the many cardboard boxes that littered her living room.

Her parents offered to help her with everything, but Ivy had declined, knowing her father had a graveyard shift that night and her mother had to get up early for work in the morning. As much as she didn't want them to leave her alone in the city, she also didn't want them jobless. So the girl shooed them away after final hugs and a promise to call every day.

After opening and rummaging through a few, Ivy had found the box she had been looking for. Inside the large box was her entire book collection. Reaching in, she pulled out book after book, novel after novel. It had seemed like she had forgot the one she wanted at home, Ivy had finally found it. It was collection of the Brother Grimm fairytales. A small smile made its way on her face. _This should take my mind off of moving._

Her eyes wandered off the cover to the window. The sun was still up. A few clouds were scattered along the blue sky alongside some seagulls.

_I guess I should go out and see if they have a park I can read at. Look for a grocery store or library or something while I'm at it._

Ivy stood up and held on to the novel, bringing her hand down alongside her. Swiping her backpack from the coffee table, she walked out of her apartment, locked the door, and went down the stairs.

The girl stood on the sidewalk and turned around. She looked up at the apartment complex. She attempted to quickly memorize as many details as she could before heading off in a random direction.

Ivy wandered around the small city. She took the role as a tourist, glancing around, wanting to take in as many sites of the seemingly normal town as she could.

A few people walked by her on the streets. They had passed her with a confused glance back, seeing an unfamiliar face. It wasn't every day that someone unfamiliar walked through those streets. Not that Ivy noticed their gaze though. If she did, the girl would have certainly clammed up and probably ran back to the safety of her apartment. But she didn't so the girl continued on with her search of a park.

After a few more minutes of watching and sightseeing, the girl came across a couple of trees on a small hill. Curious, Ivy walked over there and poked her head out, behind the trunk of a tree. She bit her lip as she watched the younger citizens of Galaxy Hills.

There were little toddlers plopped down in a sandbox, digging holes and playing with toys. Children were running around, enjoying a game of tag. There was a small group of teenage girls around her age, talking and squealing every few seconds. Ivy could faintly see a boy on the other side of the park, under a tree, with a rather large book in hand and a weirdly dressed, purple figure beside him. All in all, it seemed to be a like any other park to the girl.

She smiled. _It's not going to be that bad._

"Hi, there!"

The color drained from Ivy's face. Her eyes grew, and she quickly turned around, back against the trunk. She gulped.

In front of the girl, there stood two boys in superhero costumes. One was tall and lanky, clad in purple and green. He seemed to be around her age. The other was shorter and chubby, dressed in orange and yellow. This one looked younger than both Ivy and his friend.

Ivy bit her lip and attempted to smile again in greeting. It came out more as a grimace.

"We've never seen you before," the shorter one said.

The elder boy nodded and looked down at his friend. "You're right, Chum Chum. We haven't." He looked back to the girl. "I'm Fanboy."

"And I'm Chum Chum," the other introduced.

Two large grins had adorned their faces. "What's your name?"

It was an innocent question, but why did she feel as if she was interrogated by the cops? She licked her lips, eyes darting every which way except at the two boys in front of her. _Come on, Ivy. This is simple. Just say your name. You just need to say Ivy._

Her hold tightened on her novel in hand as the boys eagerly waited for her response. _What are you waiting for? Just say that your name is Ivy._

"Uh. I-," she attempted. "I-I-," the girl stuttered.

The boys leaned forward a bit, awaiting her answer.

Panic quickly overtook the girl. "Ako si Ivy," she blurted out. The words had flown out of her mouth before she was able to stop them. Ivy gasped and quickly covered up her mouth, dropping her book.

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

Internally, the girl groaned. _Did I really just say that? _She was disappointed in herself. Why did this always happen to her? Was a simple sentence in English too much to ask for? _I don't even know a lot of Tagalog! Just a few phrases!_

The two boys looked at her confused. Grins suddenly adorned their faces. Their eyes lit up.

"We never had a friend that couldn't speak English!" Fanboy yelled.

Ivy flinched. Why did people think that if someone couldn't speak English, talking louder would solve the problem?

"We should try and figure out what you're saying."

The girl shifted her weight to the other side uncomfortably. 'I'm trying to tell you my name,' she thought. But she couldn't work up the courage to speak.

The boys held matching clipboards in their hands that seemed to have come from nowhere, while tapping pens on the edges. Large, clunky glasses were over their masks.

"So what did you tell us again?" Chum Chum asked her.

Ivy gulped. She took a deep breath. Her mind went blank. "A-a-a," she stuttered once more.

Fanboy shook his head. "No. That's not it. I think there was more."

"A-a-a-ako." She gulped. "A-a-a-ako s-s-s-si Ivy," the girl replied with difficulty. "Hmm... I got the 'ivy' part, but we still don't know what you're saying," Fanboy commented.

Chum Chum nodded in agreement. "Yeah. What does a plant have to do with your name?"

Fanboy put a hand on his chin. "This would be a lot easier if you could only speak English..."

"Wait! But Fanboy! Look! She can understand us!" Chum Chum told his friend. "Like those aliens from that movie we saw!" He gasped. "What if she's an alien?"

"You're right, Chum Chum. What if she is an alien?" The older boy turned back to the girl. "Are you an alien?" He leaned in, invading Ivy's personal space.

Stuck in place and unable to back away, she shook her head. That much she could do without looking like an idiot.

Fanboy didn't seem to believe her. His eyes narrowed, and his gaze returned to his sidekick. "That's what every alien would say." He nodded to Chum Chum. "Let's search her!"

Her eyes widened in fear. Suddenly, she fell to the floor feeling the weight of the two boys dog pile on her.

Instinctively, she began to struggle.

Fanboy grunted. "Hold still, alien!"

A whimper passed her lips. Being caught up in some sort of fight to figure out whether or not she was not an alien was not she had in mind for her first day at Galaxy Hills. _I should've sta_y_ed at the apartment._

The small group continued rolling on the grass until bumping into something solid.

"What on earth are you doing?" a male British accented voice asked. The purple figure beside him also looked at the trio, signaling it wanted to hear the answer.

The three on the floor stopped tousling and looked up. Ivy turned pink at the sight of two more people.

The two boys got off the concrete, wiping the dirt off of themselves. "We think she might be an alien," Chum Chum answered. With the tone he was using, the boy might as well have been talking about the weather.

"We've never seen her around, and she was saying these weird words," Fanboy explained to the Brit.

The red head rolled his eyes. "Have you ever thought that she might have moved here from another country that didn't speak English?"

"Oh..." The two boys shared a glance before looking at the shy girl who had been using this opportunity to crawl away from the small group.  
Ivy turned around; face red when she felt the weight of their stares. Her eyes grew. She got up and paced backwards until finally quickly turning around, running home.

"Hey!" She heard. "Where are you going?"

Ivy ignored the calls. She was not good with people at all, and those two set the deal. The girl wanted to stay as far away from anyone in this city. Another tussle like that was the last thing she wanted to happen again. _Maybe signing up for this experimental city wasn't a good idea. I should've thrown away the forms when I got them._

The girl continued to run even though she knew the "superheroes" weren't following her anymore.

As luck should have it, she arrived at her destination. Hastily, running into her apartment, up the stairs, and locking the door, she leaned against the door, breathing heavily.

"I'm such an idiot." She hit her head against the door. "I thought I got over the language thing." She plopped herself down on the couch and held her head in her hands. "Why did I panic?"

A moment of silence passed.

"Well, it happened." She sighed.

Before the girl could think over her actions for anymore longer, her stomach demanded attention. She looked down at her tummy once hearing the growl. "I guess I should make something to eat."

* * *

The familiar tune of Ivy's generic ringtone filled the air of the girl's small apartment. Running out of the kitchen, sandwich in hand, she grabbed her cell phone that she had set on the coffee table and set it on speaker.

"Hello?" Ivy took a bite of her sandwich.

"Ivy? How are you? Are you alright?" The girl smiled at her mother's voice.

She nodded, even though she knew her mom couldn't see her. "Hi, mom. I'm good."

"So how are you settling in? Did you make any friends yet?"

Ivy took another bite as her mother began to fire off question after question. Swallowing, she responded with an "I'm fine," to assure her mother. The girl didn't want to explain another one of her "episodes" or the alien ordeal.

Her mother continued to press on. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, mom."

Ivy's mother was silent for a few seconds. The girl took the time to continue munching on her sandwich. "So you're feeding yourself correctly?"

"Yes, mom."

"Don't eat a lot of junk food."

"Yes, mom."

"And drink plenty of water. And don't forget to wear a sweater. It's cold outside. And no friends over for too long on a school night."

Ivy would have groaned if her mouth weren't stuffed with food. These were rules and reminders her parents had told her for years.

"I know. And you don't have to worry about the last one. This is me. I don't usually talk, remember?"

"Ivy…" The girl knew that tone. That meant she was going to get a lecture. "What have I told you about that? You need to get out more. Galaxy Hills will be good for you. You'll grow out of those shy habits."

_But I don't want to grow out of it. I'm fine with the way I am._

"Okay, mom. I'll try," she lied. _After what happened today? I think I've had enough attempted conversation for a lifetime._

Ivy faked a yawn. "Mom, the move made me really tired, and I start school tomorrow. Can I call you after school?"

"Okay, Ivy. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night. I love you."

"I love you too."

Ivy hung up. She stared at her cellphone for a moment; her conversation with her mother was running through her head.

A melancholy smile made its way on her face. _She's doing what she thinks is best for me,_ Ivy reminded herself.

The girl decided to actually go to bed instead of reading a novel like she had planned. Setting her cellphone down on the coffee table, she trudged to her room and threw herself on the bed, not bothering to search for pajamas to change into. Ivy buried herself under the covers and stared at the ceiling.

_Maybe me speaking Tagalog was a good thing. They probably think I'm a weirdo and won't talk to me anymore._

Ivy turned on her side. _I'll just lay low at school._ She closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.


End file.
